


I Built a Friend

by Ada_Rose



Series: Dream SMP Stories [3]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU where everything is the same, Creeper Hybrid Sam | Awesamdude, Gen, If it’s ooc I’m sorry, Inaccurate redstone, No betas we die like L’Manberg, Pandora’s Vault, Redstone (Minecraft), Sentient!Pandora au, awesamdude centric, except the prison is a sentient being, idk how it works, sam built life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:09:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29294190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ada_Rose/pseuds/Ada_Rose
Summary: Pandora’s Vault wasn’t the first project Sam has taken upon himself, and it was certainly not the last. But the vault was different in a way Sam couldn’t exactly describe. Maybe it was because he worked so long on it, maybe it was the design, more complex and intricate than anything he ever built before. But sometimes it felt like Pandora’s Vault was- Sam didn’t have a better word for it- alive.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Dream SMP Stories [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2109759
Comments: 1
Kudos: 75





	I Built a Friend

**Author's Note:**

> More Sam-centric fics please.

Pandora’s Vault wasn’t the first project Sam has taken upon himself, and it was certainly not the last. But the vault was different in a way Sam couldn’t exactly describe. Maybe it was because he worked so long on it, maybe it was the design, more complex and intricate than anything he ever built before. But sometimes it felt like Pandora’s Vault was- Sam didn’t have a better word for it-  _ alive _ .

The first time Pandora’s Vault showed signs of being more than just a machine was months ago when Sam was still designing it. He was testing out possible doors for the main entrance and for some reason the redstone wasn’t working in the way he wanted it to. 

“Come on”, Sam said after another failed test, “Please work, I’m begging you here”, it was a habit to talk to his projects while he worked even though he knew they would never respond. When the redstone worked perfectly on the next try, the thought of sentience didn’t even cross his mind. Still, he thanked it out of habit and continued working. The rest of the day had no hiccups, everything ran perfectly and made Sam ahead of schedule. 

Since that day, the construction of Pandora’s Vault was more efficient and faster than Sam originally thought. He was ahead of schedule more often than not, finding the materials needed in record time. It was almost like they wanted to be found, to be used. Sam did find it strange that a random hunch led him directly to ancient debris multiple times, but he didn’t have an explanation for it. So he just chalked it up to having good instincts and continued on his way, ignoring the lingering confusion and curiosity in the back of his head. He’ll figure it out later, right now he had a prison to build. 

The construction itself was an interesting process. Sam worked on it constantly, from the blackstone shell to the inner redstone that truly made Pandora’s Vault inescapable. It was to be his masterpiece, his greatest accomplishment. Since the vault’s construction was supposed to be kept secret (as secret as you can get with a building so big), Sam was almost entirely alone during the day. Sometimes Dream visited him for updates, but for the most part it was just Sam and the unfinished prison. With no one else to talk to, the creeper hybrid found himself talking to the vault more and more. He would talk about whatever came to mind; the weather, ideas for future projects once the prison was done, guesses on who the prison was even for since Dream didn’t even tell him.

“Sometimes I wonder why I took the offer”, Sam found himself saying as he lined up the redstone dust and connected it to a power source, “A stack of diamond blocks is tempting for sure, but something about this whole thing is putting me off. I mean, why would Dream even need a prison in the first place? Who does he want locked up so badly?”, he stared at his dust-stained hands, “Should I even be making you?”

The power source glowed brightly and sparked, making Sam flinch back to avoid being electrocuted. 

“Oh no”, the creeper hybrid muttered. He’d gotten used to this flawless process and was a bit startled when now was the first time he had a true problem with the build. Keeping his eyes on the still sparking box, Sam put on his gloves, pulled on his mask, and went to work. A bug like this would normally take a few minutes to solve, but this took him hours to fully fix. It was almost as if the prison was fighting against him, angry and refusing to budge. 

When he was finally done, Sam collapsed onto the floor and leaned against the blackstone wall. 

“You definitely got some fight in you”, he said, pulling his mask off and closing his eyes, “I feel bad for whatever poor soul ends up in here”. He thought about what he said earlier, about whether he should even be building Pandora’s Vault in the first place.

“I’m finishing the prison”, Sam said out loud out of habit, “Too far in to stop now, and I hate leaving things unfinished”, he stood up, “Time to head home. You better be well behaved tomorrow”, the last sentence was a joke, or it was supposed to be, but when he returned the next day, the flawless building streak continued. 

Later Sam would learn that the sparks weren’t from anger, but from fear. 

***

It turns out that the one who ended up in Pandora’s Vault was none other than Dream himself. Even Sam can recognize the irony in that statement. When the others asked him if he’ll be ok with escorting Dream alone, Sam just dismissed them with a wave. 

“Guys I got this”, he said, “No one knows the prison more than I do”. Even when armorless, weaponless, and chained, Dream was still dangerous. Yet when Sam led him to the prison, he wasn’t worried at all. Pandora’s Vault was his domain, his creation, not Dream’s. He had no reason to be afraid. 

With Dream locked up, everything should be back to normal, right? Wrong. Very very wrong. With the admin in chains the egg and it’s bloodvines only became more dangerous, and it didn’t help that it had most of the Badlands under its thrall. Sam heard it whisper to him, trying to convince him to join it and continue nourishing it with Fran of all things. The creeper hybrid grabbed Fran and ran away from his base, insticially heading to the one place he always felt safe. The prison. 

With no planned visits today, Sam didn’t need to put on the professional act of the Warden. Instead he put Fran down on the hard floor and collapsed into his chair, exhausted. 

“What am I going to do?”, he wondered, “How can I stop this egg from spreading further?”

The familiar hum of machinery filled his ears, wrapping around him like a warm blanket. He’s heard this sound more times than he could count, the constant proof of his accomplishments. But this time it was different, softer, an active attempt to comfort him. Sam didn’t know how long the thought of this being a possibility lingered in his mind, but after hearing this, everything finally clicked together like a finished puzzle you didn’t even know you were solving. 

“You’re alive, aren’t you?”, Sam said to Pandora’s Vault, “Like actually alive. As in sentient and everything.”.

The hum got louder. Affirmation. 

“Oh my-”, Sam put a hand to his mouth. He couldn’t believe it. He’s built hundreds of machines, but this was definitely a first. 

He lowered his hand, “How- how did this happen? Not that I’m complaining, this is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened but...this shouldn’t be possible”

The humming stopped, the prison was silent.

“Um, well, hi then, I guess? Uh, my name is Sam, but you probably already know that. I built you, so does that make me your father? I have no idea how this works”. He looked around and spotted one of the lamps, “Ok, one flicker for yes, two for no. Have you been sentient the entire time”

The lamp flickered once.  _ Yes.  _

“Oh wow. Suddenly a lot of things just made a lot more sense. Ok, do you know how you gained sentience?”

Two flickers this time.  _ No.  _

“Do you like being sentient?”

_ Yes _

“Do- do you like me?”

_ Yes _

Sam sighed in relief, “I’m actually really glad to hear that, you have no idea. Um, do you have something in particular you want to be called?”, Just calling it (He? She? They? What pronouns do you use for a sentient building?) “The Prison” suddenly didn’t feel right. 

_ No _

“Nothing, huh. I mean your official name is Pandora’s Vault. Is Pandora good?”

_ Yes _

“Alright, Pandora. It’s nice to finally meet you”

The soft hum returned. It seemed Pandora returned the sentiment. 

_ Bonus: _

Sapnap watched the floor raise itself in awe. He knew Sam has always been good with redstone, but he never knew the creeper hybrid was  _ this  _ good. The warden hasn’t even used any of the levers, only said what was going to happen right before it did. 

“How did you do all this?”, Sapnap asked. He didn’t know much about redstone, but he was pretty sure voice command was impossible. 

“Oh you know…”, Sam’s eyes trailed off and watched a lamp rapidly flicker off, then on again, almost like a wink. From under his mask, the warden smirked, “I’m just really good at what I do.”


End file.
